As we reach the season 5 finale of The Walking Dead airing tonight in the UK, I reflect on my experience on The Walking Dead series and my view on the series as a whole. Scroll down for the review!
My Backstory On The Walking Dead
There isn't too many shows that I watch admittedly. Getting into a TV series takes a big motivation on my part, since I could easily sit in place, listen to music and watch random, funny clips on youtube all day. It involves a huge investment, as watching a drama actually means paying attention to all that is going on story wise. I often like to watch things that are lighthearted and in the line of comedy because I like a good laugh, so watching the Walking Dead was treading in a different line for me.
I first got into the Walking Dead, after deciding that I needed a good TV series to get into. The options for me were Breaking Bad, Game Of Thrones or The Walking Dead because I have heard good reviews on all three shows. What tipped The Walking Dead over the others for me was the inclusion of zombies and from my experiences of zombie movies, I've always enjoyed them. I liked Zombieland and I loved Shaun Of The Dead which was enough for me to see what The Walking Dead was all about. I watched season 1 before taking a long hiatus from the show, then after a dedicated binge recently from season 2 up until 5 I am now all caught up with the series. This is my take on the show so far.
Overall
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| Hospital scene with Rick Grimes from Season 1 |
I have read online that season 2 is thought of to be the weakest season because of the location, but the Shane storyline and his gradual progression into insanity and the main antagonist is perhaps what kept me hooked throughout that season. I was interested to see how it would play out as someone who hadn't read the comic books, so I had no idea where it would lead. I certainly hadn't expected things to turn out how they did. Season 4 seemed to slow things down as certain episodes were focused on character development rather than progressing the story forward. I also found there to be less cliffhangers that forced me to watch the next episode just to see what happened, but I was already hooked on the show by this point so there was just no stopping me.
Favourite Character
No question, Daryl Dixon. This should be of no surprise really since he is one of the most favoured characters of the show and this certainly doesn't surprise me. I love Daryl's character development over the seasons, who, as a tough guy was someone who was reluctant to help others and looked out for himself only. He has shown his vulnerability at times, such as his obvious upset when Sophia, who he had spent his time looking for in season 2 turned out to be dead. When Daryl and his brother Merle reunited in season 3, it was easy to see how Daryl had changed and how being part of a group had affected him because in comparison to his brother he had become a bit of a softie. Through their predicament of the zombie apocalypse, Daryl has formed a close bond with a group of people he now considers his family and would risk his life to protect. So yeah, I love Daryl. It helps that he is a looker too ;)
Michonne is another one. She is basically the female version of Daryl. Both have bad ass weapons, (Daryl with his crossbow and Michonne with her sword), that tough, cold personality and seemingly hatred for other people. She, like Daryl has shown her vulnerable side, in particular to Rick Grimes son Carl. I guess I just have a thing for these type of characters. I expect her and Daryl to be a part of the show for a long time to come (fingers crossed).
Least Favourite Character
Andrea is the first person that comes to mind when I think of my least favourite character. My relationship with her was definitely a love/hate one because I liked her towards the end of season 3 when she finally realised what was going on and tried to do the right thing (I'll get on this more in a bit). Then there was Lori, who I also had a love/hate relationship with.
My disliking for Andrea probably started when she started being rude to Dale in season 2 for basically stopping her for committing suicide in the end of season 1. Everytime he looked out for Andrea's best interests and tried to help her she would throw it back in his face. I could see where she was coming from, she wanted to choose the way she died rather than living the life she was currently living and suffering a grizzly death in the hands of walkers. Quite frankly though she just had a stank attitude which didn't agree with me. Then there was that whole fiasco with the Governor and the complete naivety she showed. There were already signs of this naivety concerning Shane, as one of the people who couldn't see how dangerous Shane was becoming despite Dale's warnings. The Governor, who turned out to be one of the biggest antagonists int he series was completely fooled by Andrea at first, who could not see past his lies and deception. Her pal Michonne could see this and decided on leaving the 'sanctuary' of Woodberry they decided in. Only, Andrea chose Woodberry and the Governor over Michonne and her gut instinct that something just wasn't right about him and the town.
Lori's mistake was sleeping with her husband Rick's best friend Shane when she thought Rick was dead. This is what caused the rift between the two and the cause of Shane's insanity. I actually didn't dislike her that much until her reaction to Rick when Rick told her that he shot and killed Shane. She was actually mad, which I don't thin she had a right to be considering that it was her fault. I was silently hoping she would be gone soon and my wishes came earlier than expected.
Best Storyline
I'd give this one to the Governor storyline, which started in season 3 and came to an abrupt end in season 4. I think the Governor is the kind of antagonist that the show needed. Someone that you genuinely hated for the right reasons and he was deftly someone I came to despise. I remember there being a lot of action and conflict in season 3 which perhaps makes it my favourite season of the lot. We had our good guy Andrea, who unbeknownst to her had sided and slept with the devil. I lived for the episode where she finally came to her senses and saw the Governor for who he really was, which she did eventually but unfortunately it was too late. We had the animosity between the Governor and Michonne after she killed his zombified little girl and stabbed his eye out. After those incidents, the Governor made it part of his mission to get his feet revenge on Michonne. Then there was his mission to take over the prison where Rick and his crew inhabited by killing them all which led up to an epic confrontation between Governor and the woodberry camp and Rick's group. Season 3 had it all going on in my view.
Worst Storyline
This would probably have to go to the Terminus storyline in season 4 and the beginning of season 5. Much of season 4 was focused on Rick's camp once they became separated, on travelling to a place called Terminus which promised that they will survive if they make it there. This is when the story started to slow down when a lot of focus was placed on building character and following each group to see what was happening on their side. Quite a few episodes were spent on their travelling to Terminus which turned out to be a fraud. The camp were captured and prisoned and this led to season 5, where they escaped and killed the bad guys in a matter of a few episodes. I found this to be anticlimactic.
What I have learned from The Walking Dead
In my view, The Walking Dead paints a realistic view of what it would be like to live in the zombie apocalypse if it were to happen in real life. If it would me, I would be a goner in ten seconds flat. Thank god for tranquility.
